If either of these questions has ever crossed your mind, then you are in the right place. I’ve actually been looking to add a little color to the eggs in my hen house lately.

So I’ve been researching to figure out which chickens would be the best fit. Here is what I’ve found:

The Process of Eggs Getting Colored

The process of an egg being formed takes around 26 hours from start to finish. The actual eggshell being formed takes 20 hours.

Then the egg being colored takes the remaining 5 or so hours. The egg will go through a dye process where a pigment is sprayed on the egg inside the hen.

Remember, all eggs start as white eggs. It is the internal dyeing process that causes the eggs to change colors.

Now, there are other things that can impact the coloring of the eggs. If your hen is spending too much time in the sun without adequate shade or cold water, then it can actually bleach her eggs. If you begin noticing lighter colored eggs than normal, then you’ll want to check on these two factors.

If your hen’s eggs are being bleached more so than usual, and she has plenty of shade and cold water, then it is time to check for mites and parasites because they can have the same effect on the egg’s coloring.

But there are certain chicken breeds that have both the blue and brown pigment. This results in that breed being able to produce eggs that are ever color of the rainbow.

However, you should know that a hen will produce the same colored egg her whole life.

So if you are looking for a rainbow of eggs, then you’ll have to have multiple hens with the blue and brown pigment that each produce a different colored egg.

The final thing to note about the egg coloring process is that almost all eggs are only colored on the outside. When you crack open the shell, you will still see white on the inside.

But blue eggs are the exception. When they are colored, they turn blue both inside and out.

Chickens that Lay Blue Eggs

1. Araucanas

These are very special chickens. They lay only blue eggs and look kind of funny because they have no tail feathers.

Otherwise, this is known as ‘rumpless.’

So this is how you can know someone has a true Araucana. Lots of people try to sell birds as Araucanas, but not all of them are so. Those two factors will help you distinguish the real breed from others.